Promotional film for the eastern San Francisco Bay Area (Alameda and part of Contra Costa counties) emphasizing its excellent weather, advanced infrastructure, and cultural and economic advantages.


This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

Producer: Palmer (W.A.) Films, Inc.
Sponsor: Metropolitan Oakland Area
Audio/Visual: Sd, B&W
Keywords: San Francisco Bay Area: Alameda County; San Francisco Bay Area: Industry; Weather

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: tribtower - - June 11, 2013
Subject: Factories in Oakland? What's this film a fantasy that never was
Off-shored-went south-went to Mexico-and they kept
going and going until nobody really believes that
any-thing like this place existed. It did to a point yeah film is silly in form but the people
working at good jobs is not. After the TOP predators got through closing the city down and
left Camden, Gary, Compton North and a whole pile
of other wrecked places around the USA the bottom
feeding predators blew it to hell. TOO far gone
that's the end of the tale.

Reviewer: Wilford B. Wolf - - September 15, 2005
Subject: Made In MOA
Promotional film created by Alameda County (Metropolitan Oakland Area) touting the benefits of locating plants in the area. The primary thesis of the film is because the East Bay area has a mild climate and it is centrally located, it leads to a number of benefits of industry.

Some of the claims seem a bit preposterous, such as greater Oakland doesn't have a transient work force or loading areas don't need roofing. Other claims seem silly until you realize that this film was probably directed at the heads of industry back in New York or Chicago. This includes the repeated emphasis on single story buildings in plants and schools, and the frequent use of windows and skylights. As the narrator notes, because of the mild climate and frequent sunshine, there is little need for A/C, heaters or insulation. This is all touted as cost saving advanates to the area.

Another area that is emphasized is how rapidly the area was growing. This is spun as a potential work force and consumers of goods. There is some talk about the recreation in the area and some of the schools (UC Berkeley in particular is showcased, as "the largest school in the world").

There are some weak points to the film. The narrator doesn't seem entirely sure of the script he is given, and so seems to stumble at times. It doesn't help there are some just plain awkwardly constructed phrases littered in the text. The illustrations of how tempature affects work performance are strange in that uniquely 1950s manner. The film also seems to ramble a bit too much and could've been tightened up to under 10 minutes without losing too much.

Reviewer: Spuzz - - February 19, 2003
Subject: Weatherman 1: Viewer 0
In this fairly preposterous short, the benifits of the Metropolitan Oakland Area, more specifically it's weather, are meticulously detailed. For 13 minutes, we are treated to fact upon fact about why California has the weather it does. After 3 minutes, you say okay, I understand! after 5 you're nodding off. Could have been drastically shortened.

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